While I love Virginia and all the East Coast has to offer, there’s no place quite like California.  Whether you’re visiting or live here in the great state of California, you’re sure to find an abundance of vacation spots and fun activities to occupy yourself and your family.

To help others find some of the wonders California has to offer, I compiled a list below of fun things to do while in California. Many of the activities below are FREE, while the rest are relatively inexpensive.

Go To The Beach

One of my favorite things about California is that there is such a large coastal line.  From pretty much any area of the state, you can reach a beach in less than a couple hours. My family and I love spending time at the beach because the boys can go crazy playing in the water and sand while I get the opportunity to lay in the sun and SHOP.

Visit a National Park

Some of the most beautiful and natural sights can be seen in national parks and California’s are no different. Places like Yosemite and Sequioa National Parks boast a wide variety of activities for the whole family that are sure excite the senses without costing and arm and a leg. There are dozens of smaller parks scattered throughout the state that showcase some amazing landmarks and are home to some pretty unique animals.

Go Skiing/Snowboarding

While I’ve never been much of a “snow bunny”, my family and I made our way to the snow covered mountains of Virginia a few times during my childhood. If you’re looking for a great place to ski or play in the snow, California offers some of the best spots to do so! Northern California is famous for it’s immaculate snowy slopes and beautiful ski resorts.

Play Bingo

Some of the funnest times I’ve had with my Mom and God-Momma were had in a Bingo hall. My God-Mother has always had extremely good luck when it came to winning stuff so it was fun for my Mom and I try and guess how long it would take before she’d win something.

This same joy can be had with your friends and family all across California. There are bingo halls everywhere and it’s usually relatively inexpensive to join in on a few games. Most are also child friendly so you can take the whole family and spend the afternoon chatting, hanging-out, and trying to win a little bit of money! You can also play Bingo rain or shine so this makes a great activity for those rare days when the California weather isn’t cooperating.

To find a Bingo spot near you, check out OnlineBingo.com’s list [view list] of bingo halls in California!

Amusement Parks!!

Now this is probably the most expensive thing on my list of fun things to do in California, but given there are so many awesome amusement parks in California, I couldn’t possibly leave it off! Whether it’s Knott’s Berry Farm, Legoland, Sea World, or Disneyland, you’re almost guaranteed a good time when you visit an amusement park with you family. The only downside to this option is you have to pay admission for each family member – often a hefty fee – and usually a couple refreshments and souvenirs. If it’s in the budget, though, I highly recommend visiting an amusement park while in California. Sometimes you can find good deals on tickets that allow you to visit more than one park over a few days.

Whatever your budget, California has some amazing entertainment activities. From skiing down a snowy mountain in Northern California, or laying out on the beach for a tan in Southern California, there’s no better state to find a vacation spot to please the entire family.

Gabrielle

For more information on all things bingo related, make sure you LIKE OnlineBingo.com’s Facebook page and follow OnlineBingo.com on Google+!

Hurry over to the Target Style Facebook fan page for your FREE Target Summer Beauty Bag!  I love snagging these freebies because the beauty bag comes packed with samples and coupons.  Plus, the beauty bag comes in really handy!  I have a pink one I keep in my purse with all of my feminine products in it.

Just a FYI:  The site is being slammed with requests so keep trying… I had to keep refreshing before it finally went through and I was able to fill-out my information.

Gabrielle

With blogging being all the craze right now, there are now both mom bloggers and dad bloggers. However, it seems most of the dad bloggers are much more conventional. They’re very mainstream. I won’t say that they’re boring, but they do stick to a mainstream theme of ideas and topics. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with that, but it definitely differs from us mom bloggers.

Mom bloggers tend to think outside of the box. While we have the ability to be conventional, we also tend to fall a little off our rocker at times. I think this makes our blog posts fun and exciting. Sure we can post mainstream stuff too, but you better believe we will post about the horrific tantrum our child threw at Walmart because we wouldn’t buy them that toy they had to have. We post the good and the bad. We post on topic with our niche and from niches from all around. We write on a wide variety of topics bringing in readers from everywhere. We’re spunky, unconventional, and a lot of fun.

The thing about mom bloggers is we aren’t afraid to show our personality. In fact, we love letting our personality shine through our blog posts. That’s what makes us who we are. We want to connect with our readers, so we make sure our readers can get a feel for who we are.The great thing about mom bloggers is many of the mom bloggers post on a lot of the same topics, but they’re all different because of their opinions and personalities. So, while you might be reading the same topic on five different blogs it’s different because of the writer behind each one.

Dad bloggers almost limit themselves it seems because they’re afraid of stepping outside of their comfort zone. Come on dad bloggers! Put yourself out there and get creative. Don’t be afraid of what people are going to think. Being different is what makes you who you are.

When you go around reading blogs, can you see a significant difference between mom bloggers and dad bloggers? Do you think dad bloggers should be more like mom bloggers or vice versa? How so and why?

This guest post was written by Nikki-Laine from DedicatedMama.com

With Father’s Day rapidly approaching, I’ve begun the daunting task of hunting down the perfect gift for one of the hardest people to shop for – Dad.  Women are pretty easy to buy gifts for since they’re content with jewelry or beauty supplies and kids usually have no problem writing out an extensive list of toys and games they want, but Dads always throw me off.  Daddy, for instance, usually buys tools and things he wants as he needs them, so buying gifts for him is always a challenge.

This year, I’m determined to get Daddy something he doesn’t necessarily know he needs.  At the top of my list is a new watch.  Daddy is always looking for his phone to see what time it is or to use it as a stop-watch, so I think a wrist watch is a gift I think he’d love to receive for Father’s Day.  It’s practical, something he’d actually use, and a gift I’m sure he’ll use on a daily basis.

If you’re looking for a great Father’s Day gift this year, maybe your Dad would love a new watch, too!  The place I’ve been scouring recently is ShopNBC.  They’ve got some really good deals on men’s watches going right now, some of which I think would be perfect for my husband on Father’s Day.  I’m looking to get him a watch that is not only stylish {otherwise he won’t wear it}, but durable.  Daddy works in construction and any watch I get him for Father’s Day is definitely going to need to be able to withstand the constant bumps and bangs its sure to endure while on Daddy’s wrist. This perfect watch can’t be too bulky, either, or it will weigh down his arm and he won’t wear it.

Some other ideas I’ve thought of that might be great for Dad on Father’s Day are:

• Music – Daddy loves music and adding some more MP3′s to his iPod will surely put a smile on his face during his long commute to work.
• Movies – While my husband rarely watches movies, he has a few that he absolutely loves and grabbing them on Blu-ray would make great Father’s Day gifts!
• Lawn Tools – Now that we have a big yard again, my husband loves spending time out in it on the weekends.  Maybe a new lawn mower or weed eater would make his job of lawn maintenance a little easier and allow him to enjoy the yard he already loves even more.

Do you know what you’ll be getting your Father {or husband} this Father’s Day? 

Gabrielle

Are you a coupon junkie like myself?  Do you clip every coupon you find and scour the internet for coupon codes before making a purchase?  Then you need to check out Coupons.Answers.com!

Coupons.Answers.com is an awesome coupon code site that compiles all available and valid coupon codes on the internet and puts them in one convenient spot.  From free shipping to percentages off your total order, Coupons.Answers.com has a variety of coupon codes for almost every store.

Looking for Macy’s coupon codes?  They have them!

Need a little discount on electronics from Best Buy? Yep, they have discount codes for there, too!

Like I said, Coupons.Answers.com  has discount codes for pretty much everything.  whether it’s back-to-school clothes for your kids this year, or that big screen you’ve had your eye on, checking Coupons.Answers.com before making an online purchase can save you hundreds of dollars in the long run. The best part is that all of the coupon codes are neatly organized and readily available in one spot.  You don’t even have to spend a lot of time searching to find great deals on stuff you’re already going to buy!

One feature I really like about Coupons.Answers.com is that there is a store question and answer section where you can ask all your coupon related questions – like “Does Pottery Barn ship to Canada?” or “Does Advanced Auto offer discount codes for tires?”.  Members of the community offer valuable advice and answer all questions submitted.

So before you make another purchase online, check the Coupons.Answers.com database!  You can even use the handy search widget on my sidebar to help you find great deals and coupon codes fast and easy!  Just type in the store you’re looking for and bam, instant access to dozens of available coupon codes!  You’ll be surprised at everything you can find discount codes for.  From Macy’s to Kohl’s to Lowe’s, you can find awesome coupon codes at Coupons.Answers.com.

Gabrielle